area51novel Chapter 10 Technology Market
Chapter 10 Technology Market
As Lingyun left the securities brokerage, he pushed his bicycle into the technology market, where he was immediately filled with the sounds of music, promotional shouts, and bargaining from various shops.
"Lenovo computer, latest Pentium 100, multimedia configuration, only 13,800!"
"Genuine Compaq product, American brand, quality guaranteed!"
In the shops lining both sides of the aisle, CRT monitors flickered with Windows 3.2 interfaces. The off-white or gray computer cases looked both familiar and strange to Ling Yun. He stopped in front of a shop that appeared to be quite large, his gaze falling on a branded computer displayed at the entrance.
"Looking for a computer? Lenovo, the latest model." A young salesman in a wrinkled shirt immediately approached, "Pentium 100 CPU, 8MB RAM, 1.2GB hard drive, 14-inch flat-screen monitor, and it comes pre-installed with Windows 3.2 and WPS. You can use it right away."
"How much does this configuration cost?" Ling Yun asked casually.
"Thirteen thousand eight. If you're really serious about it, I'll round it down to thirteen thousand." The salesperson quoted a price with practiced ease.
Ling Yun quickly did the math in his mind. The price of a branded computer obviously included brand premium and pre-installed software costs. His experience as a programmer in his previous life told him that assembling it himself would save at least a third of the cost for the same configuration.
"Can I see inside the computer case?" Lingyun asked.
The salesperson paused for a moment, clearly having rarely encountered such a request from a customer. "Well... brand-name computers are all sealed; opening them voids the warranty. But don't worry, Lenovo is a big brand, the quality is absolutely guaranteed."
Ling Yun nodded, not insisting. He thanked them and turned to walk towards the stalls selling individual components deeper in the market. The atmosphere here was completely different; the counters were piled high with various circuit boards, chips, and cables, and the walls were covered with densely packed price lists.
CPU: Pentium 100 2200 yuan
Memory: 8M EDO 800 yuan
Hard drive: 1.2G Quantum 1500 yuan
Motherboard: Lianxun 8561 1200 yuan
Ling Yun carefully examined the quote, rapidly configuring the computer in his mind. He had two clear goals for this computer setup: first, to serve as a prototype for a future internet cafe; and second, to provide a testing platform for the development of "Spark Software." This meant he needed to find the optimal balance between performance and cost.
"Boss, do you have a Pentium 100 in stock?" He stopped in front of a stall and pointed to the CPU wrapped in an anti-static bag in the glass case.
The stall owner, a man in his thirties, was engrossed in testing a motherboard with a multimeter. "Yes, original imports, guaranteed genuine," he said without looking up. "Want a motherboard and CPU combo? With a Lenovo 8561, it'll be 3300."
This price is cheaper than what I expected for buying the brand-name computer separately. Ling Yun understood, but he still wanted to negotiate further. "Boss, I might need more than one set. What's the price if I buy ten sets?"
The stall owner finally looked up and sized up Ling Yun. "Ten sets?" He put down his multimeter, his attitude noticeably serious. "You want to start a company?"
"I'm planning to open a computer lab," Ling Yun said, half-jokingly. "Boss, it's not easy selling custom-built PCs these days, is it? I see branded PCs are doing pretty well over there."
"Tch, only laymen buy branded PCs." The stall owner scoffed. "The same configuration, they sell for 13,000, I can assemble one for less than 9,000. Same performance, and more flexible. If you want ten sets, I can give you an extra 5% off the CPU and motherboard."
Ling Yun nodded; the discount was reasonable. He then inquired about the wholesale prices of memory and hard drives, and the vendors offered even better prices than the marked prices.
"What about the graphics card? Do you have an S3 Trio64+ in stock?" Lingyun asked.
"Yes, this is the mainstream one now, and the 2D effect is unbeatable." The stall owner took out a box from under the counter. "But if you want to play 3D games, you have to wait for Voodoo. That thing is expensive now, and you need two graphics cards."
Ling Yun certainly knew about Voodoo, but in 1996, it cost three or four thousand yuan and wasn't yet widely available. He waved his hand: "Not for now, just get the S3. What about the sound card?"
"Do you want a high-end one or a regular one? The high-end one is the Creative AWE32, with its heavenly sound, but it's expensive. The regular one is fine with the ESS688, it's cheap and its performance is sufficient."
"Let's get the ESS688 first," Ling Yun made a pragmatic choice. He knew that in a noisy computer room, most users wouldn't be able to hear the subtle differences in sound quality.
He scribbled on the stall owner's price list:
CPU: Intel Pentium 100 - 2200 yuan
Motherboard: Lianxun 8561 (430FX chipset) – 1200 RMB
Memory: 8M EDO — 800 yuan
Hard drive: Quantum 1.2G - 1500 yuan
Graphics card: S3 Trio64+ — 800 yuan
Sound card: ESS688 compatible sound card - 200 yuan
CD/DVD drive: GoldStar 4x – 500 yuan
Chassis and Power Supply: Vertical AT chassis + 250W power supply — 400 yuan
Monitor: 14-inch flat-screen rectangular – 1800 yuan
Keyboard and Mouse: Mechanical Keyboard + Scroll Wheel Mouse – 150 RMB
"Total: 9150 yuan." Ling Yun pushed the bill to the stall owner. "Ten sets, total price 85,000 yuan, is that acceptable?"
The stall owner's eyes widened: "Brother, you've cut that far too hard!"
"Boss, this is a long-term business for me. We'll need more equipment as the computer room expands. And," Ling Yun lowered his voice, "I know a friend who's planning to start a software company, and he'll need at least twenty or thirty development machines."
This was obviously fabricated by Ling Yun, but his tone was so natural that the stall owner had no choice but to believe it.
After hesitating for a while, the stall owner finally slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, let's be friends! Eighty-five thousand it is, but it has to be cash."
"No problem," Ling Yun said with a smile.
As Lingyun left the technology market, the sun was already setting. He rode his bicycle back to school, his pocket filled with the newly signed purchase agreement, which stipulated payment and delivery in mid-April.